What if Pianoteq modeled pickups instead of microphones? (Like electric guitars). Do you think modeled pickups would produce a better sound? ... or would we just end up arguing over single coils vs. humbuckers ... :-p
They already are doing that in the electric piano models?
Are pickups ever used on acoustic pianos in the real world? In my (admittedly, limited) experience, it always seems to be mics.
You can certainly slap a few piezos inside the piano body...
This is the inventor of one popular pickup system for acoustic pianos. He's showing how to install it. (odd name it's called Helpinstill).
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt9XpECy9pQ
From the reviews I've seen, it picks up the piano sound in certain unique way different from a microphone - apparently, a little too cleanly. It's usually suggested to use it in conjunction with a microphone as the strengths/weaknesses of each compliment each other ... thus, my question about modeling pickups in Pianoteq.
Well, there you go! I'm familiar with the use of pickups in guitars and violins, but hadn't come across them being used in pianos. I'm always learning something on this forum!
For a piano, it would rather be more appropriate to use a laser scanner of vibration of the deck. This is his juice. The strings are just the middle of the sound.
Great topic - For recording I imagine they'd work exceptionally well. To be able to zoom in on any area of the piano would be powerful.
or would we just end up arguing over single coils vs. humbuckers ... :-p
Challenge mindlessly accepted! heh - I love me them-thar out-of-phase old-school pickup arrays in Strat-like guitars - Burns guitars have a lovely version with none of the noise/hum usually associated - love that.
Interesting to find out more about pickups with pianos - and yeah great question OP, applying things like out of phase, different coils, warmth vs. bassy and clippy etc. would be really interesting to be able to control from highly localised sources on/in the piano.
Wonder how transducer tech dovetails with pickups? Strikes me there could be some kind of duality of purpose which could be ripe for a product. I haven't spent much time looking at transducer tech really, so maybe that's just missing a point or two.
At Winter NAMM the big Ravenscroft piano has a couple lil mics mounted in it ... I’ll see it they or any others do it it .